Entry No. 36 — the Nashville file — filed under: Civil War hospital
Downtown Presbyterian Church
Behind William Strickland's 1849 Egyptian Revival facade — winged sun disks and lotus/papyrus columns on a downtown church block — Union troops ran a 206-bed field hospital called 'Union Hospital No. 8' during the Civil War, turning the sanctuary itself into a ward for the wounded.
The story
Walk down Rep. John Lewis Way N expecting standard red-brick gothic steeples, and you'll run headfirst into a structure that looks ripped straight out of Luxor. Designed by architect William Strickland in 1849, the Downtown Presbyterian Church is one of the premier surviving examples of Egyptian Revival architecture in the country. Strickland leaned hard into the era's Egyptomania, wrapping a Protestant house of worship in painted lotus-flower capitals, towering papyrus columns, and carved winged sun disks—symbols of eternal life carved right onto a downtown Nashville corner.
The surreal facade conceals an even grimmer layer of history. In 1862, following the fall of Nashville, Union troops seized the sanctuary and gutted the interior. They floored over the pews to establish 'Union Hospital No. 8,' a 206-bed field station where wounded soldiers were tended directly beneath pharaonic murals and hand-painted trompe l'oeil illusions.
When suburban flight swept through Nashville in 1955, the congregation refused to abandon the block, buying out the building to preserve its downtown foothold. Today, the church keeps its wild architectural legacy alive while opening its doors to contemporary art, housing an artist-run exhibition space called the Browsing Room Gallery in the exact same building.
What it's like
Stepping inside feels less like entering a Sunday church service and more like breaking into a 19th-century Secret Society lodge. The hall is quiet, cool, and bizarrely ornate, standing in complete opposition to the neon chaos of lower Broadway a few blocks over. Check ahead before swinging by—sanctuary access outside of worship services requires booking a tour or timing your trip with art shows in the basement's Browsing Room Gallery.
The move: Book a sanctuary tour and stand where the pews gave way to hospital beds, then wander down to the Browsing Room, the artist-run gallery the church now hosts in the same building.
- 📍 Downtown Nashville
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 154 Rep. John Lewis Way N, Nashville, TN 37219
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Skull's Rainbow Room — Walk one block over to Printers Alley to trade 1840s pharaonic sanctuary quiet for a 1940s supper club with jazz and burlesque.
- Fort Negley — Follow the Civil War history south from Union Hospital No. 8 to the massive stone fortification built under Union occupation.
- Nashville City Cemetery — Pair this 1840s architectural anomaly with Nashville's oldest public burial ground, established in 1822.
Good to know
Why does a Presbyterian church look like an Egyptian temple?
Architect William Strickland designed the building in 1849 during a wave of 19th-century Egyptomania, utilizing lotus columns, papyrus motifs, and winged sun disks.
What role did the church play in the Civil War?
Union military forces confiscated the building during the occupation of Nashville, converting the sanctuary into 'Union Hospital No. 8' to treat over 200 wounded soldiers.
Can you visit the sanctuary without attending a church service?
Yes, but you should schedule a sanctuary tour through the church in advance or visit during public events like art strolls.
What is the Browsing Room Gallery?
It is an artist-run gallery hosted inside the church building that showcases rotating contemporary art exhibitions.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · pcusa.org
last checked: 2026-07-20